Flying target



Feb. 21, 1939. n M. M, EVANS 2,148,063

FLYING TARGET Filed May 15, 1957 2 sheets-sheet 1 ======Mn==zzxn lU M Ml 11V 1,96 1 l l lll INVENTOR M. MY EVANS FLYING TARGET Feb. 21, 1939.

Filed May l5, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR WITNESS Patented F eb. 2l, 1939 UNITED `STATES PATE NT OFFI 6 Claims.

This invention relates to ske-et targets and has for an object to provide a Skeet target 'having a trailing streamer adapted 4Vto be severed or punctured `by the shot group at some point behind the ying target when the shooter underleads the target and furnish a visible measurement and permanent record of the error made by the shooter.

When a shot gun shell is fired the shot group strings out in a column several feet long and also te pellets spread laterally in a p-attern which Varies according to the gauge of the shell. It is absolutely necessary when shooting at skeet targets to lead targets by gun swing and follow through so as to get the Vleaders of the shot string column well ahead of the target. A target led two or three feet may and probably will, run into the rear of the column of shot and be broken. However, if the shooter underleads the target a fraction of an inch the target will be missed because skeet targets are thrown with an initial velocity of about one hundred feet per second and may move several feet while the shot group is travelling from the gun muzzle to the line of iiight of the target.

A handicap to allskeet shooters and especially to novices, is that there is no way to measure how far a flying target is underled when the target is missed. It is therefore the primary object of this invention to provide a Skeet target which will indicate, in iiight, or when retrieved, the error made by the shooter in leading the target and will thus furnish a permanent record sheet from which the shooter may ascertain the proper lead for each shot.

A further object is to provide a defective leadindicating dying target which can be thrown from conventional traps and will require no changes Vto be made in present day skeet range equipment.

A further object is to provide a flying target of the type described which will be formed of a few simple inexpensive parts and which will not easily get out of order.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood that various modifications may be re sorted to within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a perspective viewof a flying target constructed in accordance with the invention.`

of a modified Figure 4 is a side elevation of a target having a modified form of therefor.

Figure 5 is a `fragmentary plan view ofthe streamer and pivotal mounting thereof shown in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a plan view-of a modied form of streamer and pivotal `mounting applicable to the target body without puncturing the body.

'Figure 7 is a cross sectional view of the streamer and pivotal mounting thereof shown in Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the pivotal mounting of the streamer shown in Figure 7 drawn to reduced size.

Figure 9 is a longitudinal sectional View of the target in which the paper streamer is replaced by a cord streamer.

Figure 10 is aV longitudinal sectional view streamer .and pivotal means target and showings, modified form oi pivot pin for the streamer. Y

Figure 11 is a perspective View of the `pivot pin shown in Figure 10.

Figure 12 is a `fragmentary perspective View of the securing disc for the pivot pin, shown in Figure 10.

vFigure 13 is a longitudinal sectional View of the target showing the pivot pin for the streamer anchored in place by a spring clamp ring.

Figure 14 is a plan view of the pivot pin and clamp ring shown in Figure 13.

Figure 15 is a longitudinal sectional view of a target showing a pivot pin having an eye for attaching the streamer thereto.

Figure 16 is a perspective View of the pivot pin shown in Figure 15.

Figure 1'7 is a longitudinal sectional view of a target showing the streamer attached to a loose disc .on the pivot pin.

Figure 18 is a plan view of the streamer and disc shown in Figure 17.

Figure 19 is a plan view of a modified form of streamer in which instead of the disc a small securing tab is employed.

Figure 20 is a fragmentary perspective view of a cord streamer having a paper strip for stabilizing the streamer in ight.

Figure 21 is a plan view of a modified form of pivot pin securing means.

Figure 22 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a target equipped with the pivot pin securing means shown in Figure 21.

Referring now to the drawings in which like characters of reference designate similar parts in the various views, I0 designates a conventional skeet target having a body composed of clay, tar, resinous, or pitch materials molded into dished or substantially concave shape and having a plane top and plane bottom. These targets are projected from a trap or spring actuated arm and given a spinning motion by a force applied to the periphery, and are of such brittle consistency as to be readily shattered by projectiles or shot. In all forms of the invention hereinafter described7 broadly, a streamer is connected to a flying target of this type and by streamer is meant any conceivable wind responsive appendage to trail behind a nying target body during the entire flight of the target.

In Figure 1 a streamer is shown formed from a single strip or ribbon of paper of perhaps one inch in width and three or four feet long more or less, folded upon itself longitudinally to provide two thicknesses I I and I2 of material. At one end of the streamer a nat attaching end I3, lying at a plane at a right angle to the plane of the streamer proper, is formed by cutting away the longitudinal edges I4 and I5 of the streamer obliquely and then creasing or folding the bottom edges I6 and I1 obliquely toward the lower ends of the severed edges I4 and I5. Also the creased or folded portion of the streamer is preferably offset downwardly although not necessarily so, so that the streamer may in some instances extend radially from the body I0 between and perpendicular to the plane of the bottom face of the body, and the plane of the top face of the body, and thus be for the most part within the wash or disturbed air zone made by the flying target so that minimum wind resistance to the night of the target is presented by the trailing streamer.

One form of pivotal means for attaching the streamer at an end to the target body, consists of a simple paper fastener having a head I8 and legs IS, best shown in Figure 3, there being a centrally located opening 20 formed in the top of the target body III through which the legs are loosely passed and then bent obliquely to extend in opposite directions along the lower face of the top of the target body. The legs are passed loosely through an opening in the end I3 of the streamer and below the streamer a spacing washer 2I is mounted upon the legs to raise the streamer above the top of the depression 22 usually built into the top of nying targets of this type. A wear washer 23 is disposed on the legs between the head and the streamer to minimize friction.

The pivotal means above described preferably is loose both with respect to the streamer and to the body so that the spinning motion of the target in flight will not reduce to the slightest the wind responsiveness of the streamer to trail out radially behind the target and present a Visible record sheet which when intercepted by projectiles or the shot group, either by punctures or severing, will indicate a defective lead .so that the shooter may instantly know, while the target is in night, or after retrieving the target, the exact distance the target has been underled.

In Figure 2 there is shown a modified form of streamer in which one end of the streamer 24 is bent obliquely across the streamer from edge to edge as shown at 25 to provide an offset flat securing tab 26 lying in a plane at a right angle to the plane of the streamer and being substantially nush with the top edge of the streamer in night while the bottom edge of the stream will lie below the plane of the top of the target so as to be in the slip stream of the flying target and present minimum wind resistance as above described. The attaching tab 26 is provided with a reinforcing wear washer 21 concentric with an attaching opening in the tab through which any desired form of pivotal means may be inserted for swivelly securing the streamer to the target body.

In Figure 4 there is shown a modined form of pivotal means and streamer, in which the pivot pin 28 is secured in a central opening 29 in the target body 30 and rises considerably above the tcp face of the target to receive an eye 3| formed on the end of the streamer 32 so that the streamer in this instance does not need to be bent or deformed in any manner but will extend throughout in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the top face of the body 30, when in night. A pair of stop collars 33 formed on the pin retain the streamer on the pin. A spacing washer 34 is disposed on the pin above the top face of the depression in the top of the body 3B and elevates the streamer above the top edge of the depression.

In the modined form of the invention shown in Figures 6 and '7 the body 35 of the target need not be punctured to mount the streamer 36. In this embodiment of the invention the pivot pin 31 is somewhat similar to the pivot pin 28 described in connection with the modincation illustrated in Figure 4 except that the pivot pin 31 is provided with a pair of integral clamp collars 38 which receive between them the upwardly dished central portion 39 of a disc 4E! formed of paper or other destructible material which is preferably the same in diameter as the depressed portion 4I of the target body and may be nxed to the top face thereof by gluing. The streamer 36 is the same as the streamer 32 previously described, that is, it has an eye 42 which loosely encircles the pivot pin between a stop collar 43 on the pin and the uppermost clamp collar 38 so that the streamer will be wind responsive to trail behind the nying target in a plane perpendicular to and above the top face of the target body 35.

In the modined form of the invention shown in Figure 9, the target body 44 is provided at the top with a central opening 45. The streamer in this instance is a cord 45 rather than a ribbon. The cord is passed through the opening 45 and knotted as shown at 41 above the top face and below the bottom face of the depression 43 formed in the top of the body 44.

The cord may be merely a plain cord, or, as shown in Figure 20, the oord may be equipped at the free end with a paper or other strip 49 for stabilizing the streamer in night. The strip may be attached to the cord by wrapping one end about the cord to provide a cone and knotting the cord as shown at 5I so that it cannot slip through the cone in night. Other methods of attaching the strip may of course be utilized.

In Figure 10 there is shown another modification of the invention, in which the body 52 need not be punctured to mount the streamer In this modincation of the invention a wire pivot pin 54 is deformed at two spaced points to provide laterally directed closed loops 55 and 55 which form stops respectively above and below the attaching eye 51 of the streamer to retain the eye loosely on the pivot pin. The wire pivot pin, below the lowest stop 56, is deformed to provide a spiral base 58 which may be threaded through an opening '59 in an upwardly dished central portion B0 of a disc EI of paper or other material which may be glued to the top face of the depression 62 of the body 52 to secure the pivot pin to project from the body in alignment with the axis of the body.

Another modied form of the invention is sho-Wn in Figure 15 in which the target body 53 is provided With a central opening @il in the top to receive the pivot pin 55. The pivot pin in this instance is formed of a single length oi Wire bent back upon itself to provide an eye 56 for receiving the eye 67 of the streamer 68. One leg of the pivot pin is bent inwardly to provide a stop eye Gl of the streamer at the pressed top 'il of the target body. The extreme ends of the pin are bent in opposite directions along the underneath face of the depressed top 'H of the body as shown at l2 to secure the pivot pin in place. The pivot pin is loosely engaged in the opening 64 so that there will be no obstruction to the relative swivelling movement of the pin and the target body when the streamer is held in trailing position by the wind.

A further modilication is to be shown in Figure 17 in which the streamer 'I3 is not attached direct to the pivot pin but is attached to a disc 14 of material, the disc having a central opening 15 as best shown in Figure 18, to receive the pivot pin 16. In this instance the pivot pin is a paper fastener having the legs passed through a central opening 17 in the depressed top of the target body 'Hi and bent radially outward above and below the top of target to provide retaining members 19 and 80. In this vention the disc may swivel on the pivot pin so as not to be affected by the axial spinning movement of the target body in flight.

Another modified form of the invention is shown in Figure 13 in which the pivot pin Si is provided at the bottom with a spring clamp ring 82, best shown in Figure 14, adapted to be sprung into a circumferentially extending groove 83 formed in the wall of the depressed top 84 of the target body 85 to hold the pivot pin extending in alignment With the axis of the target body. The pivot pin receives the eye 86 of the streamer 81 and above the eye is bent to provide a stop 88. Below the eye the pin is equipped with a stop collar 89 which cooperates with the stop 88 in retaining the streamer in place.

In Figure 19 there is shown a modied form of streamer in which the streamer 99 is secured to a short tab 9| Which is provided with a central opening 92 to receive a pivot pin such as above described in the various modied forms of pivotal mountings for the streamer.

A further modification is shown in Figures and 21. The pivot pin 93 in this instance is simply a small paper fastener having the legs passed through an opening in the end of the streamer 94 and also passed through an eye 95 formedat the end of an arm 96 which is provided at the outer end with a spring wire clamp ring 97 adapted to seat in a oircumferentially extending groove 98 formed in the Wall of the depressed top 99 of the target body |00. The length of the arm is such as to locate the eye 95 at the center of the top of the target body.

When a streamered flying target of the above described type 1s placed manner that the streamer will extend outwardly to its full length, and out of the path of movetrap arm. The loosely held end of jerked from its support by movement of the trap arm in ejecting the target and Will pass easily through the trough in the high house or in the low house from which the target may be called by the shooter.

Targets of this streamered type may be shot at in the conventional manner used by skeet shooters and should the streamered target be underled some of the pellets of the shot group may puncture the streamer, or the streamer may be entirely severed. In either event the mutilation of the streamer presents a visible permanent record sheet showing an exact measurement of howmuch the target was underled.

From the above description the construction and operation of the invention Will be fully understood Without further explanation.

What is claimed is:

1. A flying target comprising a body having a plane top and plane bottom, and a record ribbon carried by the body and adapted to trail behind the body and be punctured by projectiles for indicating defective leading by the marksman.

2. A ying target comprising a dished body having paper rlbbon disposed in its entirety outside of the body and swivelly connected at one end to the body, said ribbon being adapted to trail behind the body and be punctured by projectiles for indicating defective leading by the marksman.

3. A flying target comprising a body having a plane top and plane bottom, a paper ribbon, and means connecting the ribbon to the target in such manner that the ribbon will trail behind the target in a substantially vertical plane so as to be broad side to and be punctured by projectiles for indicating defective leading by the marksman.

LA flying target comprising a body having a plane top and plane bottom, a paper ribbon, and means connecting the ribbon to the target in such manner that the ribbon Will trail behind the target during its entire ight in a substantially vertical plane so as to be broad side to and be punctured by projectiles for indicating defective leading by the marksman.

5. A flying target comprising a body having a plane punctured by the shot group for indicating defective leading by the marksman.

6. A flying target comprising a body having a plane top and a plane bottom, and a paper ribbon having an oiset end portion swivelly connected to the center of the body and disposing the ribbon to trail radially from the body between and perpendicular to the plane of the bottom and the plane of the top of the body, said ribbon being adapted to be punctured by the shot group for indicating defective leading by the marksman.

MERLIN M. EVANS.

it is thought that' 

